Indians, police clash at Rio Indian museum slated to be razed for 2014 World Cup

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Last Updated: Fri, Mar 22, 2013 14:02 hrs

Rio de Janiero: Brazilian riot police are clashing with indigenous people and their supporters at an old Indian museum complex in Rio de Janeiro next to the legendary Maracana football stadium.

The clash Friday is a bid to expel the group, some of whom have been squatting in the crumbling complex for years.

The Indian museum has been at the centre of a drawn-out legal battle between the several dozen Indians who've been living there for years and state and local authorities. Officials initially wanted to raze the complex as part of renovations ahead of Brazil's 2014 World Cup.

Police used tear gas and some came to blows with the Indians' supporters in an early-morning scuffle. Two helicopters hovered overhead.

Dozens of Indians and their supporters were still holed up in the complex.